Book Review: "Arms Open Wide: A Call to Linger in the Savior's Presence" by Sherri Gragg

In Arms Open Wide: A Call to Linger in the Savior's Presence, author Sherri Gragg gives us a pretty cool way to see some of the more familiar stories from Scripture through the eyes of the people in the stories, with particular emphasis on the cultural significance of some of the elements you may not have understood before.

This is a book of 34 devotional stories that starts with a brief introduction and ends with a glossary of terms that may be necessary to better understand some of the terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader.

The introduction is where Gragg explains why she wrote the book and how her stories are "fictional narrative based on research." Having read the devotionals, her cultural research shows in the little details of each story.

The devotionals are all set up in the same manner, the devo title, an OT scripture related to the story you are about to read and then "read first" section that gives you the Biblical account of the story you are about to read.  The stories range from 4 to 7 pages long, and are very easy to read and imagine yourself either in the scene, or almost as if you're watching it on TV.

Each story ends with a prayer written by the author called "cry of my heart," but I would venture to say those prayers are relatable to most readers.

Overall I liked this book, but I enjoyed it more from the point of view of learning about the culture Jesus came into, and how what he did and how he did things impacted the thoughts and attitudes of the people around him. As a devotional, I personally didn't get a ton out of it, but that's not to say other people wouldn't. I just tend to prefer my devos a little more "head" centered than "heart" centered. I do, however, think this would be a great gift for the "feelers" in your life!

Book Review: "New Spirit-Filled Life Bible: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word" NIV

This is a review of the NIV version of New Spirit-Filled Life Bible: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word, published by Thomas Nelson.

This is a different sort of review for me. This isn't the kind of book you sit down and read cover to cover and then tell how it affected you. This is the Bible! I've used a variety of Bibles before, but this is one I have never used. (According to the book's introduction, the original Spirit-Filled Life Bible was first printed in 1991.) There are a few things that make the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible different than other Bibles I have and regularly use.

Kingdom Dynamics - These are brief articles written around recurring themes in the Bible that are "essential for the dynamic spread and effective advance" of the gospel of God's kingdom on Earth. There are 41 articles grouped into nine related topics throughout the Old and New Testaments. They are linked together in "chains" with the preceding and following Scriptures cited at the end of the article.

Word Wealth - As a lover of etymology, these little pink boxes are probably my favorite part of this Bible. They are basically mini word studies on words taken from a nearby Scripture verse. The study gives insight on the Greek/Hebrew origins of the word and what a more accurate translation really means to the verse being studied.

Truth in Action - This is an interesting part of each book of the Bible. There is a summary of a truth being offered in the preceding book, as well as scripture references for the location of where the author found it and why it was included. Alongside of that is the Action section, giving the reader a list of actionable items based on reaction to the truths just presented.

Study Notes - My regular Bible is an NIV Study Bible, so I compared several of the notes in that Bible to the notes in this one. Hands down my old NIV had better notes. They were much more comprehensive in scope for what I am looking for. Having said that, the notes in the New Spirit-Filled Life were pretty good. They are user-friendly, and easy to read and understand.

And as a lover of books, the actual feel of this Bible in my hands was another plus. The font was a little bigger than my old NIV, which, the older I get the more I appreciate it. I really like this version of the Bible and will definitely add it to my NIV Study Bible and use the two together.

Book Review: "The God First Life: Uncomplicate Your Life, God's Way" by Stovall Weems

Note on this review - I received an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review of the book. My review is based on the ARC. I don't know what things may be different in the published version.

For such a small book, there is a ton of helpful information in here. The God First Life: Uncomplicate Your Life, God's Way by Stovall Weems took me by complete surprise. Truth be told, I was not expecting all that much  when I started this book. I figured it would be just another "7 Steps to [fill in the blank]" book, but it really wasn't that at all.

As opposed to a checklist of how to live God's way, this little book was really more of a hand-holding (in a good way!) guide to HOW to put God first in your life and what that practically looks like. For me personally, practical advice is so much more helpful than theory. And this book was full of practical, down-to-earth, do-able advice.

While I was reading this book, I kept having the thought that it would be a great read for a fairly new believer. One of the things I struggled with as a new believer was how to approach the Bible. I didn't know where to start or what to make of it. Weems offers great advice for how to read the Bible and get the most of out the time you spend there.

The God First Life would also make a great class/discussion group book. I was hoping that Weems would write a study book to go along with it, and what do you know? In looking up the cover image for this post I saw that he does, in fact, have a study guide and a DVD.

I wouldn't want someone who has been a believer for a long time to think this book doesn't have anything to offer them. In my own reading, I found that my decision to join a church and be involved in the life of that church was confirmed in a powerful way. I also learned how to change my way of thinking about God in order to give him top priority in my life in a way that I have not been doing. I may pick up a copy of the study guide and see about approaching my church about running a book study...

A Quest for an Organized Home

It's been a long cold winter in New England this year. Now that it's April, spring is finally on the horizon. And with (slightly) warmer temperatures and longer days, I have set my sights on the disaster that is the current state of my home. Yikes! The hallways are are closing in on us, the dining room (which is used for homeschooling my two kids) is overflowing with an almost-finished year's worth of stuff: books, art supplies, papers... And I don't even want to think about the laundry room. A person takes her life in her hands when entering that room. It's not a pretty sight.

All of which brings me to my Quest for an Organized Home. Now, I'll be totally honest here - my attempts at said Home have, so far, been an abysmal failure. I was really excited about the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge and I printed out my list. I filled in the first ten days of places to "decrapify" and set to work. I got through Day 1 and that was it. (I'm not kidding!) The program gives you Sundays off, so when I explained that to my 8 year old son, when he questioned why the calendar didn't have all the dates on it, his reply was, "Hmmm - it looks like every day is Sunday for you, Mom." ...sigh...

I realized that even that was too ambitious a task for me while our homeschooling year is still in full-swing. Some people can do lots of things at once and do them well. I am not one of them. So I decided to start small. The first thing I wanted to do was get our weekly menu/grocery list organized. I had been writing each night's menu on a little square of a printable calendar and scratching my list onto an index card on the way out the door to the grocery store each week. This was a place I could make a quick improvement.

A quick visit to Pinterest brought up a plethora of home organization tools, lists, and calendars. At first I was a little overwhelmed, but then found an organizer that I liked. It wasn't perfect, but I liked it. Now that I've been using it for a few weeks, and knowing what works for our family, I decided to create my own. I've included them here if anyone wants to use one. This one is a blank template and this one is pre-labeled from Monday through Sunday.

I used the same basic set up as most of the other planners, but I added a little section next to each day to jot down anything I need to be aware of that could change what I make for dinner that night. (Spaghetti and sauce would be a good choice for a night when we have music lessons at 6:30, and homemade pizza is a good option when we have the whole night at home together.) I have the Grocery List section right next to the meal planner and then added a Notes section at the bottom. I found that I want to try a recipe and then forget where the recipe came from. The Notes section is a great place to write its location so I don't have to try to remember it when it's time to cook!

Thus begins my humble Quest for an Organized Home. I know it won't be quick (or likely very easy!) but small steps in the right direction are better than every day being a "Sunday"!

Book Review - "Thrive: Digging Deep, Reaching Out" by Mark Hall

It's been a while since my last book review, but the stuff I have to do can sometimes get in the way of the stuff I want to do.

I am a fan of the music group Casting Crowns. I knew their lead singer, Mark Hall, is a pastor, but until recently I had no idea he is also an author. It probably stands to reason, then, that I have not read his other books, but after reading Thrive: Digging Deep, Reaching Out, I can honestly say I would be interested in reading his other books. Hall writes in an easy-to-read style that is also highly relatable. Even if for no other reason, his horror movie story makes this book worth the read. Luckily though, there is a lot more to be enjoyed and learned from Thrive.

The book is laid out in two separate sections. Part one, "Digging Deep," Hall speaks to the need to get out of "survival mode" and dig our roots down into Jesus in order to thrive as we are meant to. This is not a Prosperity Gospel teaching, but a way for people in the real world to thrive, wherever they are, in Jesus.

In part two, "Reaching Out," we see what it can look like, through examples, as well as imagining what could be, by reaching out to others from a place of deep faith.

All in all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. My first reaction to it was that this would be a great book for someone who is new (or at least newer) to the faith, or someone who is not currently engaging their faith in a meaningful way. It's a quick read, but one I recommend.

(There is also a Thrive Challenge that goes with the book, but I did not investigate it.)

Sewing to Give Away

I love to sew. Even more than I love to sew, I love to give away what I sew. Don't get me wrong, I love having my etsy shop, and the money I make through it helps to support my sewing "habit." But when it comes down to it, I love to give stuff away.

So it's nice for me when I receive requests from various people asking for doll clothes. Most often the clothes are going to be sold or auctioned off to raise money for various charities (and once to help raise money in support of a family adopting a child from overseas). But the latest request came from a young blogger who was looking for some doll clothes to use for a giveaway on her blog. Me being me, I said yes. After waiting a few days for the extremely cold weather to abate I shipped off a handmade robe and two-piece pajama set.

Earlier this afternoon I received a note from her telling me that she had completed a photo shoot of her dolls at the spa and used the bathrobe I sent for it.

When I clicked over to see it, I was thoroughly impressed. Clearly she put a lot of time and effort into the feature and I loved to see that she had created most of her props. And they looked great!
So if you want to see the work she did and the bathrobe I made for her to give away, click through to see her blog post. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. :)

Book Review: "God in Slow Motion" by Mike Nappa

Have you ever started reading a book and by the beginning of the second chapter you think of all the people you know who could really use this kind of book? (In a good, encouraging kind of way - not a self-righteous, "I'm trying to fix you" kind of way!) Mike Nappa's God in Slow Motion is the latest book to fall into that category for me.

With chapter titles like, "Mysterious Grace," "Stolen Miracles," and "Insulting Greatness," to name a few, this book had my interest before I even started reading. And once I started reading, I was hooked. This was the book I've been looking for - it was rooted in the truth of the Scriptures, but with a very practical, "what this looks like in real life" theme. And for concrete thinkers like myself this book was a true help in my walk.

One of the aspects of this book that was encouraging to me was the section in the “Brutal Love” chapter where Nappa brings to light the promises of Scripture that are not going to be found in current feel-good, prosperity gospel kinds of current literature. You know, the ones like, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Real life can be very difficult and it was a great comfort to be reminded that through it all, good, bad, ugly and everything else, Christ is there with us... even when we don't understand or agree with what's happening – and that's a reminder I really need every once in a while.

At the end of the book, the author requests that you don't keep the book, but instead give it away to someone. And as much as I would love to share this, I can't bring myself to give away my copy. I really will be buying copies for those people that I thought of when I started reading. Then we'll see if they can give away theirs at the end!